Keep Your Head Up
by Ayamari Uta
Summary: Prince Ivan wants Alfred F. Jones dead, and recruits the greatest captains of all time, Arthur Kirkland and Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, to capture him in exchange for dear life. But why? Which captain will find him first? And will they be able to kill Alfred in the end? Pirate!Iggy and Pirate!Spain, with Hero!Alfred. SpaMano, USUK, GerIta and maybe RoChu.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**_ This was an idea I could not pass up! Please review!_

**Spanish:**

_¡No te preocupes!- Don't worry!_

_Si- Yes!_

**Summary: **_Prince Ivan wants Alfred F. Jones dead, and recruits the greatest captains of all time, Arthur Kirkland and Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, to capture him in exchange for dear life. But why? Which captain will find him first? And will they be able to kill Alfred in the end? Pirate!Iggy and Pirate!Spain, with Hero!Alfred. SpaMano, USUK, GerIta and maybe RoChu._

* * *

_Keep Your Head Up_

_Prologue…_

Rumours ran deep through the kingdom of Hetalia, one of the poorest lands of the world.

Some advocated that it was also the richest all of lands, since it had a very special someone who aided the lower class without any repayments.

He was known all over the world as Alfred F. Jones, the most wanted "criminal".

Most peasants spoke highly of him, and vouched that he was a good person, even though some said he was a little bit of an airhead.

His comrade, Feliciano Vargas, was also known throughout the lands.

Most cooks held him in highest regards, and openly admitted, when not threatened of death, that he was an excellent cook.

His pasta was known worldwide even if he was not at first.

However, those two were not the only ones known in the kingdom of Hetalia.

The pirates were feared and respected by many in all of the classes.

If one were to be asked of who was the greatest and the most formidable pirate, the person would quiver in fear, and would say shakily, "C-Captain A-Arthur of B-Britannia."

Arthur Kirkland overshadowed all of the chit-chat going on about Alfred and Feliciano, his reputation known everywhere.

At least one person in every village knew who Arthur was, and his mere presence at every port was enough to make some of the toughest men shake in their boots.

His riches were vast, and his conquered land was enough to be proclaimed the enemy of the king of Hetalia.

In spite of this, there was in fact another captain whose name was Antonio Fernandez Carriedo that challenged Arthur's accomplishments.

His conquistador ways led to him expanding, and by now, he was regarded in the same level as Arthur himself.

Despite this, Antonio was less feared for his kindness and cheerfulness. He was shown to be merciful sometimes, and some people lived to tell what he was like.

His reputation was less dreaded because of this, even though he had the same amount of land and riches as Arthur had.

Everyone in the kingdom would always speak of these men, whether it'd be in fear, admiration, or even happiness.

Some were scared, some were angry, and some were content with them.

Still, they could all agree on something.

They were never caught.

Never.

The four men were always pursued by the Hetalian king and his royal guard. Traitors who hid them from the law and that were caught would be publicly persecuted.

Yet, not even the pursued man's men were caught.

So when rumours spread that Arthur Kirkland and Antonio Carriedo had been caught, everyone was utterly shocked.

Some did not believe and laughed good-naturally at what they thought was a joke.

Others were worried, mostly for Antonio, and sent their best wishes.

Anyhow, when Prince Ivan announced that Arthur and Antonio were going to be executed, the whole crowd was in silence.

It was unbelievable.

"They will die, and their lands will become one with us, da?" The prince said, smiling cheerfully as if he had just reported the weather.

The peasants watched morbidly as Ivan waved, turned his back to them, and left tranquilly, walking with a sunflower in his arms.

"Natalia, Katyusha, please get them out of their cells, yes?" He asked, and beamed at his sisters. Natalia bowed and ran off to obey her brother's orders while Katyusha looked at her younger brother restlessly.

"Ivan dear, I believe they should not be killed. It is too violent!" She wiggled in her high heels, feeling a little nervous. She never contradicted her brother; she loved him too much to do so.

Still, that did not stop her from commenting.

"Oh, they will not die, sister." Ivan replied, smiling mysteriously.

"What will you do to them, brother dear?"

"They will help us kill Alfred and the Feliciano guy. Then they will regret kidnapping Yao, yes?" Russia's aura was dark as he uttered these words.

* * *

"You bloody wanker! It is your entire fault I got captured by the stupid guard!" Arthur accused as he squirmed and tried to get the handcuffs tying his arms behind him off. Antonio's green eyes narrowed.

"Oh no, mi amigo, it is your fault! Your man set us up!" He opposed and muttered something that sounded like 'Lovi is going to get hurt if I don't come back'.

Arthur sputtered out words indignantly and even though he admitted in his mind that it was true, that Francis had given them up to the guard, he would not admit it to Antonio.

"Of course not! You and your armada slowed us down!" He protested.

Antonio smirked. "So you admit I can slow you down!"

Arthur glowered at Antonio. "Why you-"

"Shut up! Big brother wants to see you two in his throne room right now!" Natalia whispered in throaty voice. "If you do not want to lose some fingers, I suggest you listen to me." She added in a cold tone.

Antonio and Arthur felt slightly intimidated, and shared a nervous glance.

They both expected Natalia would take out a key and would open the cell door.

Instead, Natalia easily kicked down the lock, breaking it, and forced the door open. She harshly grabbed Antonio, who was staring at her with wide green eyes, by his shirt and broke the handcuffs with her bare hands.

Arthur smiled nervously as Natalia moved to him and broke his handcuffs too. The girl then grabbed the two and hissed dangerously, "If you hurt big brother, I will castrate you both."

Both pirates nodded quickly.

They did not want to get in her bad side!

* * *

Meanwhile, Ivan and Katyusha waited patiently as Natalia dragged the two to the throne room. The two did not even bother to fight back, knowing that they would be killed if they dared.

"I've brought them, big brother, just like you said." Natalia announced and cupped her hands together. "Now will you marry me? Marry me! Marry me! Marry me!"

Ivan averted his eyes nervously. "G-Go to your room, please, sister."

Arthur and Antonio shared a startled and sort of amused glance.

Even Ivan was scared of her?

How strong was this girl?

Katyusha smiled and gently took Natalia by her hand. "Let's leave brother to his business."

She began pulling the younger one out of the room, who was shrieking, "No, do not leave me with this girl with big boobies! NO!"

The doors closed, and the three men shared a glance as they heard Katyusha start crying and run away, hearing the bouncing of her chest clearly.

"About the fact that we are still alive..." Arthur started, breaking the awkward silence.

Ivan nodded, and smiled at them eerily, causing the other two to shake a little. "You are going to go out and slaughter Alfred F. Jones. If one of you kill him, and bring Yao Wang alive, then that person will not be hanged. The other one will be killed and chopped to pieces. Sound reasonable, da?" Ivan bluntly stated, still smiling.

Antonio and Arthur smirked slightly.

This was an easy request, they both thought simultaneously.

"And if you try to escape, I will make sure you die a slow and painful death. Sound good?"

Antonio and Arthur gulped as Ivan smirked sadistically this time.

He was sure daunting!

"Of course I will not escape. A recognised and proud pirate will always keep his word, I do vouch." Arthur responded solemnly, and smirked at Antonio, who smiled at Ivan.

"¡_No te preocupes_! I will bring Alfred's dead body here myself!" He pledged and smirked back at Arthur, who was happy to keep eye contact with Antonio.

He would prove to him who was the better captain, and would live to watch Antonio perish in Ivan's malevolent hands, Arthur decided, and smiled inhumanly.

Ivan smiled sunnily at the two. "I knew I could make a deal with you."

Arthur and Antonio shared a silent glance which clearly read, _"I am going to beat you, and kill Jones before you do!"_

"Now go, and remember that whoever comes back empty handed will have to beg for his insignificant life." He said darkly, with the pitch of his voice being particularly low.

"Very well!"

"_Si!"_

The two responded ardently at the same time, and ran out of the throne room, tripping over one another.

Ivan beamed at the entertaining display and waited until the two captains left, arguing and bickering with one another.

He really did wonder who would be the first one to bring him Alfred.

He knew the reputation of those two really well.

However, Ivan too had a reputation of being the harshest prince that the Hetalia kingdom has ever had.

Even though it was very lonely, he still friends.

Eduard, Raivis, and Toris all kept him company, right?

He smiled as he reminisced about memories involving the Chinese boy that continuously kept him company.

Even though he ran off whenever Ivan stalked him, he would still stay with him for some reason.

Ivan loved that he appeared to be tremendously tough despite being small.

"They better bring Yao back, yes?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **_Wow, this chapter is so small… I feel ashamed of myself. T_T Well, thank you for those who reviewed. :D I am glad!_

**Summary:**_ Prince Ivan wants Alfred F. Jones dead, and recruits the greatest captains of all time, Arthur Kirkland and Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, to capture him in exchange for dear life. But why? Which captain will find him first? And will they be able to kill Alfred in the end? Pirate!Iggy and Pirate!Spain, with Hero!Alfred. SpaMano, USUK, GerIta and maybe RoChu._

* * *

_Keep Your Head Up_

_Kidnapping!_

"Leave me alone, aru! I am going to chop you to pieces with my sword, and kill you, aru!" Yao Wang yelled as he squirmed in the man's, who was currently carrying him and running extremely fast, grasp. He kicked and kept on wriggling.

"Hey, you are safe now! Don't ya worry; Ivan won't get you ever again. I am going to dump you in one of those ships, and you can sail to the kingdom of China right away!" A cheerful voice responded, and Yao could imagine him smiling like an idiot.

"It's a republic, and let me go, aru!" He protested.

"Ve~, he was possibly tortured, Al!" A lighthearted voice said sympathetically. It sounded that the man speaking was tired from running at the same pace as his comrade.

"He may not know what he is doing anymore."

"Woah, man, that's true!" The other voice, which was quite annoying in Yao's opinion, said brightly.

Yao inhaled and then let out a battle cry, scaring the other two into stopping their running.

"Let me go, aru!" He shouted, and banged his punches on Alfred's back repeatedly.

Alfred and Feliciano shared a glance.

"I am sorry, dude, but it's for the best." Alfred was quick to hold Yao in front of him, and knocked him out with a punch.

The two young men started running again without problems, carrying the Chinese stranger easily.

As a hero, Alfred had to be able to save him!

He would not take no for an answer!

* * *

"Oi, you idiot! You can't just take my ship!" Arthur shrieked as Antonio got one of his men into the other pirate's ship.

"I can." Antonio responded, and smiled at Arthur brightly. "And there is nothing that will make me get off your ship, and mine."

"Hey, Toni!" A blonde ran towards Antonio and crashed into him, almost knocking him down.

Arthur smirked in amusement.

"What is it, Bel?" Antonio asked, steading himself, and then aided the girl up to her feet.

"Lovino, he is missing!" She cried out, and Antonio gave her a startled look.

"Maybe he went to buy some tomatoes…."

"No, no, Toni! Elizaveta from Captain Arthur's ship told me that she tried to fight some guards that came to take Lovi! She couldn't stop them, and they also took a small boy!"

"A small boy, Bel? But we have no children in our ship."

Arthur climbed on top of the ship and looked at Bella menacingly. "How did this boy look like?"

Bella gave him a worried look while Antonio growled. "Be more respectful to my mates, you are in enemy territory."

Arthur snorted. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"He had a blue sailor suit, blond hair, and blue eyes." She intervened quickly. "He was also cute!" She could not help but add.

Arthur clenched his teeth. "Peter…"

"That's his name?" Bella asked and smiled at Arthur encouragingly. "We'll get him and Lovi back, right Antonio?"

"Hmph."

Antonio crossed his arms. Arthur looked away.

Bella was about to say something when Elizaveta staggered over to them. All of the three looked at her with concern.

"Elizaveta! Are you alright?" Arthur questioned, clearly worried for his subordinate.

She took out a piece of wrinkled paper from her pocket, and smiled shakily.

"I-Ivan t-took P-Peter, and the I-Italian to make sure you complete your mission."

Bella was quick to give Elizaveta support before she fell over, and quickly got her brother's attention. He nodded at her when she looked at Elizaveta, and carried the brunette to a room. His sister followed right behind, sparing a glance at the two captains that were examining the letter.

"Read it aloud, Arthur." Antonio demanded.

"Hm? Oh right." He unfolded the paper and read, "'Did you think I would let you leave without something in exchange? I will try not to break your precious people. You better hurry up with your mission before I turn them into dust, da?'"

Antonio paled. "Lovi… He is in danger!"

Arthur did not respond, and merely jumped onto his ship. Antonio watched as the captain easily threw the guy he had sent to invade Arthur's ship out to the sea. The poor crewman swam towards the ground, and sent a dirty glare in Arthur's direction.

"I am going to kill Jones before you do!" Arthur laughed and waved at him as he navigated his ship away from the deck.

"Ha ha, in your dreams, mi amigo!" Antonio replied, smirking, and got his crew together.

They would be better off making a plan to save his Lovi.

Antonio swore that he would bring him back safe.

* * *

"That hurt, you stupid jerk!" A childish voice resounded through the halls.

Peter took ahold of two bars and used some force against them, tossing and pulling.

"Let me out!"

"That fucking Russian bastard!" Lovino muttered under his breath as he sat near one of the corners. He cringed as he saw a spider web above him, and scooted away from that space.

"Hey you, who are you?" Peter asked while looking at Lovino curiously.

"This is not exactly the time to make introductions. Where is that tomato bastard? Damn it, come and help me already!" He wailed.

Peter smiled confidently. "I am Peter, and since we are both in the same situation, and I clearly know more than you… Then recognize me as an adult!"

Lovino groaned. "Why did I have to be stuck with a child out of all people?"

Peter pouted, and his eyes got really shiny. Lovino frowned.

"Oh no… Not this…" He muttered, realizing what Peter was going to do.

"Wah! Why can't anyone recognize me as an adult?" He bawled and wept while waving his little arms around.

Lovino grabbed the bars this time and tried to shake them as if he could escape like that.

"It's all your fault, Antonio!" He yelled and started to cry as well.

The two crybabies kept on cursing and badmouthing their respective captains.

Lovino and Peter spent their time blaming them, stating it was their fault that they were stuck in a dirty cell with a "stupid Italian" or a "whiny bastard".


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **_Thank you for your reviews. :D I was delightfully surprised when I checked. Thank you. :)_

_Oh, and just in case: RussiaxChina is RoChu. :3_

* * *

_Keep Your Head Up_

_Guard's Gotta Go_

"Ve~. We are back, Kiku!" Feliciano chirped.

Said person looked up from polishing his katana with a velvet handkerchief and smiled at them.

"Hello. Were you successful in bringing Matthew-san back?" He questioned.

Alfred and Feliciano looked at Kiku with defeated looks.

"I couldn't fight them off, Kiku. Ivan's royal guard had us outnumbered. We managed to rescue one prisoner though. He seems to be off his head though."

Kiku set his weapon on the table, and then locked the door behind him.

"Let me take a look. I may be able to nurse him back to health."

Alfred nodded and carefully set the Chinese young man down on a bed.

Feliciano decided not to intervene, and smiled cheerfully at his idea of making pasta. He went to the other room with this idea in mind.

Kiku walked over to Yao with a box of supplies and gasped as he realized who he was.

"Yao!" He exclaimed and looked at Alfred. "What is the meaning of this?"

Alfred smiled. "He was in a cell when we found him, so the hero bailed him with his back up!"

Kiku looked at Yao worriedly. "I hope he is alright."

"Do you know him?" Alfred asked, curiously.

Kiku nodded. "I used to live with him..."

Alfred looked at him with excitement. "Alright! Another ally!"

Kiku waved his hands. "No, no, Alfred. When I was little, I was kidnapped, and... He thought I was dead, I am sure... With the fighting he taught me, I was wounded... There was too much blood..."

"So that is how I found you in the slave ranks, working your ass off like a mule. You were taken to work!" He realized and his gaze softened, understanding the situation.

Kiku had just revealed what had happened to him.

Alfred then smiled confidently. "Once he sees you are alive, he'll be happy and join us."

Kiku sighed and glanced at Yao. "I do not know, but I did miss him... He used to call me his little brother and he tried to make me recognize it but I never really did..."

Alfred snickered. "I don't think little brothers like recognizing it! Matthew still acts like he is older than me!"

Kiku smiled in amusement. "Oh yes, that is very true."

He looked at Yao worriedly and shook him gently to wake him up.

The Chinese man opened his brown eyes and narrowed them again.

Before Kiku and Alfred could react, the male took the nearest thing he found, which happened to be a metal pole and quickly directed a harsh blow against Kiku, who having learnt from Yao's teachings, already had his katana pressed against the pole. The two struggled to make a move, one to defend himself, the other to kill, while Alfred watched, impressed.

"Hey, stop it you guys!" Alfred demanded, and raised his hand to hit Yao unconscious again.

Kiku looked at Alfred. "No, Alfred-san! Don't touch him!"

Yao looked at Kiku stunned as Alfred backed away hesitantly. "Huh, why are you defending me, aru?"

Kiku kept struggling with keeping the pole away. Yao was really strong, even when sidetracked.

"B-Because you are my b-big brother." He said quietly, and withdrew his katana from the pole. The pole quickly went forward; having lost the force that was stopping it, and almost struck Kiku. He had bent down for it to barely miss his head.

The Japanese boy fell to the ground from having bent down too quickly, having lost his balance.

Yao looked at Kiku shocked, and released the pole, which made a clink sound as it touched the ground.

He bent over Kiku. "Are you alright, aru?"

Kiku looked up at Yao and nodded. "I am quite alright. It was close."

Alfred let out a breath he had not known he had been holding and eyed Yao suspiciously.

"Who did you say you were, aru?" Yao asked. Kiku smiled.

"I am Kiku."

Yao's face went from curious to shock again. Finally, it went to an extremely happy one. He hugged Kiku, surprising him, and squeezed him tightly.

"I-I thought y-you were dead!" Yao blubbered, and then laughed.

Kiku widened his eyes in surprise. "You are crying!"

Alfred smiled at the heartwarming moment and looked away, feeling rude in watching this.

"I was so worried, and so sick!" Yao could not keep the tears of happiness from falling. He sniffed and backed away just a bit to hold Kiku in front of him.

"Wow, you have grown aru!" He admitted and laughed again.

Kiku smiled at him. "You have changed yourself."

"And still so rude, aru. You kidnapped me, aru." He teased and sniffed as he tried to stop crying.

"Do not cry, Yao, I am okay." Kiku murmured.

"I am trying not to, but it's such a relief, aru."

"I am sorry, Yao." He murmured. Alfred closed the door behind him, leaving those two behind and went to join Feliciano.

"What are you making, Feli?" He asked, and grinned.

"I am making pasta!" He beamed at Alfred, and looked at the boiling water.

Alfred nodded. "Did you get any of the newspapers to get any clues of your brother?"

Feliciano had joined up with Alfred for the fact that he was looking for Lovino, and could not find him on his own.

"No, ve~." He whispered sadly. "I wonder if my fratello is alright."

"I am sure your frat-jello is okay!" Alfred said optimistically.

Feliciano did not bother correcting Alfred, and smiled.

"Ve~. I hope so!" He chirped.

"Ha ha ha, the hero knows so!" He declared and gave him thumbs up.

He then sighed. "We are going to invade the guard at the train station tomorrow..."

"That's why I am making pasta! We all need lots of energy!" He said cheerily.

"We have to be ready to escape. Oh, and whatever happens..." The American trailed off, thoughtfully.

Feliciano looked at Alfred, who was looking at him serenely.

"Leave me behind. If you have to escape, run and don't look back. Just save Mattie for me."

Feliciano frowned, and opened his eyes, which were full of apprehension.

"Nobody is going to leave anyone behind. We all escape, or we all die." He said solemnly with bravery blooming in his chest.

Alfred smiled at Feliciano. "Ha ha, thanks buddy!"

He beamed at him and closed his eyes while he hummed a tune. Alfred sat down on a chair and sat back, balancing himself so that he did not fall back.

He looked down at his guns and sighed.

How were they going to succeed?

There were only three people, four if Yao wanted to join, or even five if the guy who had kindly given them this little hidden house wanted to help them again.

The guard in the train station, even though smaller than the one that was in the palace, was still strong. One single person in their group would have to fight at least ten people at the same time.

It was too much.

* * *

"This is the plan! We are taking the train station, and we'll slaughter the guard!" Arthur yelled at his subordinates.

"But, that is so totally cruel!" Feliks protested, not really caring though.

"It's because Toris is in the guard, right?" Elizaveta teased. Feliks flushed red and shook his head.

"Like, that is not the reason!"

Arthur rolled his green eyes. "This is like, no time to fight about love!"

Everyone stared at their captain, who flushed embarrassed.

He had sounded just like Feliks!

"Ahem." Arthur cleared his throat. "We must make sure that none of them are alive."

"But wouldn't that be going against Ivan?" Roderich intervened.

Arthur smirked. "If we report sightings of Alfred, and we leave no witnesses alive..."

Roderich snorted. "Point taken. We'll do that then… Captain."

"That's a good idea." Heracles added, and went back to sleeping.

Arthur smiled arrogantly. "We'll get Peter back in no time!"

"Yeah!" The rest yelled together, and laughed in delight.

Arthur smiled relieved.

His subordinates were really something.

They all stuck with him no matter how ridiculous his plans could be sometimes.

"How about we have a couple of drinks?" Elizaveta offered and took a whole barrel of rum out.

Everyone but Arthur cheered in response.

He just sat near the edge of the ship, admiring the stars.

Little he did know that someone else was doing the same thing.

Both were wishing the same thing.

"I wish that we can be successful tomorrow."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** Thank you for your reviews! :D

This next chapter, I am sorry for the fail fighting scene. XD I will try making the next chapter (also a fighting scene) better!

* * *

_Keep your Head Up_

_And so we meet..._

Arthur's ship traversed through the sea, arriving at the bottom of a very high up cliff. He regarded the rest of his crew, and bent his head, gesturing towards the rocky cliffs.

"Get yourselves ready! This is a plan that must be preceded with care. If anyone of you makes a noise while we are approaching the enemy, I will make sure myself that you are to walk the plank. Or perhaps I can have your neck right away if I am nearby you. Are there any questions?"

All of them shared an ecstatic glance, since they were beginning to feel the adrenaline of combat, and shook their heads.

Arthur smirked with confidence and got his swords ready.

This would be enough to keep him satiated until he rescued Peter, and killed this so called Alfred F. Jones.

* * *

"Alright, you guys! Here is the plan! I will face all of them one at a time!" Alfred was seated at a small coffee table with Yao, Kiku, and Feliciano around it. They were looking back at him with attentiveness.

Meanwhile, a blond man who looked very serious was in the corner, observing them.

He had been the kind person who had given them the house to hide in.

The other three had been grateful for Ludwig.

Said German simply listened on, and did not really care much to stop them.

In fact, he loathed Ivan.

It was more than enough cause to bend the rules a little.

"What do you propose for the rest of us, aru?" Yao questioned.

Kiku had told him he was very trustworthy...

"You are all my back up! Yao, you use your wok to hit everyone! Kiku, you do your thing with the samurai stuff. And Feliciano, you get the white flags and blind them all with your spirit when it is time to fight! They will think we are giving up!"

Yao admitted that the American chattered like an idiot, but his plan was something that could be done.

"How many will we be facing, aru?" Yao asked as everyone stood up.

"Uh... Ten each, maybe more?" Kiku blurted out with his voice barely above a whisper.

Yao paled. "What the hell, aru? This is insanity, aru!"

Alfred laughed. "Don't fret! With me as your hero, nothing will go wrong. Right, Feli?"

Feliciano smiled cheerfully. "Yes!"

Alfred pointed out to the door. "Let's kick some guard butt!"

Feliciano and Kiku smiled while heading to the door.

Yao just wondered what he had just gotten into.

A loud bang abruptly came before Feliciano opened the door.

"Get out! We know you are in there, you measly thugs!"

Alfred took out his guns. If he was going to fight now, he would. He gestured towards the door silently, indicating that they should open it.

Ludwig stopped Feliciano before he set his hand on the handle. He gently pushed the Italian through the kitchen, and gestured the rest to do the same. The other three nodded their heads in agreement, and made their way to the kitchen.

He stopped Alfred before he went in, and whispered, "There is a back door hidden behind the counter. It is small, but you'll fit to escape."

"What about you, Ludwig?" Alfred murmured.

"I'll deal with them. Just protect Feliciano."

Alfred beamed at Ludwig, who smiled a little in return as reassurance, and ran into the kitchen to join the others.

"Open up!" Came the voices from outside the poorly made door.

Ludwig opened the door calmly. "What do you want?"

* * *

Alfred smirked as he watched some of the guards playing around and not protecting the Royal Line.

Good.

The Royal Line, in case you are wondering, was a set of railroads that were specifically made for the royals' trains. They were only permitted to aboard these trains.

Not even high class people could go in them.

It was said that riches were in those trains, things that the royals left behind on board from the trips that they embarked on.

This was one of the reasons why the Royal Station was so heavily guarded.

The other reason being, of course, was to make sure that if one of the royals ever needed protection, they would be there to defend him or her.

He motioned Feliciano to move first by giving him the peace sign. Feliciano nodded, and came out into view with his flags.

The guard merely laughed at the way that the Italian was shaking. He flapped his flags quickly, getting jumpy by the second.

A guard smirked at his comrades, and then approached Feliciano. He set a hand on his shoulder, making him get startled and flapped his flag strongly.

Alfred gave Kiku and Yao the signal to start moving.

This was it!

However, before they could make a single move…

"You are not touching Feli!" A woman with light brown hair screeched as she took her frying pan and knocked the guy unconscious.

Alfred looked at her in amazement. Where did she come from?

"Kill that bitch! !" A guard bellowed, and the rest of the guard quickly gathered to attack.

Alfred swore he heard someone curse, and then to his surprise as well as his comrades' surprise, Roderich and Feliks came out of the bushes, and charged at the enemies.

"Miss Elizaveta?" Feliciano questioned, and Elizaveta nodded.

"I missed you Feli! Now go hide over there!"

Feliciano shook his head, surprising Elizaveta. "I am fighting, ve~!"

And with that, he took on a nearby guard. By that, it just meant that he waved his flag in front of him.

Elizaveta shrugged and held up her frying pan. "Let me help!"

She joined in with Feliks and Roderich, seeing them struggle with their own fights.

Kiku shook his head. He took out his katana and jumped out of his hiding place, surprising the others. He landed skillfully on top of one of the guards' head. He gracefully avoided the swords and bullets directed at him, and stabbed a man who was about to slay Feliciano.

The Italian gave him a smile and kept flapping his flag.

Yao went right after Kiku, and took out his wok. Some of the guards wondered where these people were coming from, but they could manage.

Everyone was having complications even so. Alfred was still stunned at how the things were going.

In the meantime, Vash and Toris were still holding back on fighting. They did not want to kill anyone, and they wanted to stay neutral.

They were part of the guard, and even though it was their duty to help out, they chose not to.

Feliks grabbed his whip, and wrapped it expertly around one of the guards' neck, then squeezed it tight, knocking the guy unconscious. He smiled satisfied with himself, and felt two hands wrap around his own neck.

"You are not getting away with this." The person hissed, and kicked Feliks roughly on his back. He cringed in pain, but did not fall to the ground, for the guard was still holding onto him.

"Feliks!"

Arthur had enough.

His crew had deliberately ignored him. But he was not going to let anyone of his crew die on him!

He made his way through the fighting crowd easily, and punched the person assaulting Feliks away, giving him a harsh look. The Polish man fell to the ground, feeling his weak lungs get filled with much needed air.

Arthur advanced on the attacker, smiling sadistically.

"No one attacks my crew, got it, lad?" He smirked as the person widened his eyes in recognition.

"It's Ca-" He started, but never finished.

Arthur roughly pressed his boot against the person's face, and soon, his boot was dripping with fresh blood as he crushed it.

Feliks stared in utter horror, and looked away when Arthur raised his foot up.

"Go back to where Heracles and Lili are." Arthur ordered.

"Totally!" He chirped, and wiggled his way around the bloody combat.

He looked back in concern, and saw Elizaveta being forced down by multiple men. She was cornered. He felt as he crashed against someone and stepped back.

"Watch out where you are going- Feliks!" Feliks smiled as he saw who it was.

"Toris!" He cried out, and trapped the other man in a bear hug.

Toris smiled at Feliks. "It has been a long time."

"Like totally! It has!" He agreed, and pulled away. He grabbed the other's hand, and pulled him to hide in the nearby bushes.

Toris followed, and bent down. "Why are you here, Feliks? You could get hurt!"

"I had to like find you. I also have to kill all of you." He deadpanned, even though his voice did not change at all. It was still a bubbly one, even though there was nothing bubbly about this situation at all.

Toris gave him a nervous smile. "You don't mean it… You are j-joking!"

Feliks shook his head and pointed toward the west. Many bushes blocked the view of what was over there.

"No, I am not. You should like hide over there before the captain tries to kill you."

Toris blanched, and decided to go along with what Feliks said. Feliks followed right after him, determining that it would be best that he'd hide as well.

Alfred watched as Kiku and Yao fought with combined strength. They were the ones that were doing the most damage to the guard. There were less people in the area.

He was surprised by a sudden flash, and then lots of groaning as a sword made its way, killing guards with ease.

Arthur manipulated his swords with expertise, and managed to save Elizaveta and Feliciano, who had been cornered already.

The captain rivaled Kiku and Yao, Alfred noted, and then shook his head.

He was the hero! What was he doing just sitting there?

The American stood up, and commenced his attack. He took his guns, and shot expertly as he walked out of his hiding place.

Arthur barely missed a bullet as ducked to stab a rather tall man. He cursed mentally at whoever tried to wipe him off the face of the Earth, and kept making his way to Roderich, who was in need of help.

"You are not the only expert with guns!" A voice bellowed, bringing Alfred's attention to the right.

A blond man stood with his rifle and gave Alfred a stern look. Alfred looked back at him, and hummed as he watched the man move toward him.

Kiku spared a glance at the two, clearly worried. This small distraction earned him a punch to his jaw, knocking him down. Yao was quick to charge against the guard who had done this, and achieved to save Kiku before he was beaten further.

For the moment, Arthur could care less of what other people were also fighting the guards. He aided Roderich in fighting off four people at a time, and sighed in relief as he watched that the rest were faring quite better now with the battle.

He could see that Elizaveta was injured, but she resisted defeat. Feliciano was trying his best to help her too, having dropped the flags already.

Alfred had begun a shooting fight with Vash, trying to get him down. He was rapidly running out of ammo, but the other one seemed to be just starting to get into the trifling fight.

Arthur looked at the man Alfred was fighting against, seeing with some horror that he was also aiming at some of his comrades. His horror increased when Elizaveta and Feliciano were both shot on their legs, rendering them useless against their opponents. They could no longer walk from the extreme pain.

"Roderich, help them! You are closer!" Arthur commanded. Roderich nodded, and made his way through the crowd easily. The guards were even less now. There were at least thirty now.

Arthur cursed and hissed as he sprinted towards Vash with his swords at his side. He would be the one to kill this one! He was triggering a lot of trouble as he could see with dismay that he was now aiming at Roderich.

He seemed like the type not to miss easily.

He got in the way of Alfred's view range. Alfred swore at the newcomer, and cursed his luck as well.

"Get out!" Alfred yelled at Arthur.

Arthur ignored him, and rammed Vash with his own body. Arthur was successful for only one second when the young man fell down from the force. The young man took his rifle, and shot Arthur at a short distance, making it impossible for him to evade it.

Arthur took the bullet near the ribs, and fell to the ground himself.

Alfred could not help but smile gratefully as he aimed again, and fired. This time he was able to stop the Swiss before he delivered the final blow to Arthur.

It was not over, but at least Alfred, Yao, and Kiku fought with more ease until the whole ground was filled with injured and dead people.

Soon, it was over.

Yao and Kiku sat down next to each other and took a deep breath, tired from the whole dilemma. Alfred smiled tiredly at them, and his sight traveled to where Feliciano was.

Feliciano helped Elizaveta to her feet, and beamed at her. "Where were you all of this time, lady?"

Elizaveta smiled at him. "I was a pirate, mister."

Roderich wobbled over to them, and looked at Feliciano.

"Why did you run off? We found Lovino."

Feliciano opened his eyes in surprise. "Oh really? Where is my fratello now?"

Alfred laughed, getting all of the others' attention. "We won! We just need to get some rest, and beat the evil guys in the castle!"

Arthur rolled his eyes, and grunted as he stood up. He looked at Alfred defiantly.

"Who are you? What were your motives for fighting the guard?"

Alfred finally noticed him, and smiled radiantly. "I am Alfred F. Jones! And you are...?"

Arthur widened his eyes, and then narrowed them.

The American stared at him as a deafening silence ensued.

Not even Feliciano and the others dared to talk.

Alfred opened his mouth to say something to break the uncomfortable silence when a cold and bloodcurdling chuckle resounded through his ears. He could feel a cold feeling run down his spine, and shuddered.

Arthur smirked at Alfred and pointed his sword at him.

"I am the one destined to have your throbbing heart in my hands."


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** Thank you for the reviews, everyone! :D

I will try not to make China say aru much. Thanks for the feedback!

And woah, I am so happy that last line made such an impact on everyone!

Sorry for the tardiness, here is another fight scene, ending in epic failure… But I tried~. If I do good, then my DBZ side would be so proud. :,D

* * *

_Keep Your Head Up_

_Fighting for Someone…_

Alfred stared at Arthur with a confused look.

"Uh... What? What did you say again?" Alfred inquired, bemused.

However, his body seemed to know exactly what was going on, for his hands traveled to his pockets, where his guns were located.

"To put it simply for your moronic brain, I will murder you on the spot!" Arthur declared, and took a step forward, not blinking nor showing fear.

His sword did not move one bit from his hand. Albeit Arthur was injured, he did not show any pain as he calmly walked.

"Alfred-san!" Kiku was the first to react. He took out his katana and aimed it at Arthur menacingly.

Yao grunted and stood up as well with his wok in hand. "You will not hurt this man, aru!"

Alfred looked at them, and shook his head.

"I'll fight alone."

Both boys shared a mutual glance of disapproval meanwhile the rest saw him with an awed expression.

"Arthur, he helped us!" Elizaveta protested.

Arthur did not respond, and she could not see his expression because of the shadow of his pirate hat.

"Arthur, she is right." Roderich added.

"Heracles, Lili, and Feliks." Arthur whispered.

The said people stood up from their hiding places in the bushes. Well, Heracles had to be shaken awake first.

"Take those two back to the ship. They need to tend to their wounds..."

The three nodded, and the other two looked at Arthur with an incredulous look.

"Arthur-!" Elizaveta initiated.

"I am the CAPTAIN! Get them on the bloody ship, now!" He ordered, clenching the sword tightly. The sword was shaking a little.

"Yes, sir!" The other three said, and carried the unwilling Elizaveta and Roderich away.

Alfred watched as Arthur winced for a brief moment, almost as if it never happened, and then clutched his hip with a hand.

"Listen to your leader, tossers!" Arthur yelled at Yao and Kiku.

"But Alfred-san is-"

"Don't worry! I am the hero! A hero is never defeated! And that dude is wounded already. He won't beat me with that thing."

Arthur snapped, his green eyes flashing dangerously. Alfred stared into them, and could not avoid shuddering.

"You bloody bastard!" He cursed, and ran towards him with his sword at hand.

Alfred took the nearest thing he could find, which was his own gun, and blocked the hit. Now both stood forcing their weapons against each other, and stared each other down. It was as if they were dancing a death ballad, with both of them close to each other.

Alfred looked at Arthur smugly. "I can beat ya!"

Arthur smirked suddenly, catching Alfred off guard.

"Oh? Where is your other gun?" He asked, and with his free hand twirled the gun skillfully in front of Alfred's face.

Alfred looked at him shocked. He did not perceive...

"Quit daydreaming!" Arthur screamed, and kicked Alfred right on his chest, striking him down to the ground.

Alfred grunted, and Arthur pressed his boot harshly to keep him there. Alfred had to recognize that the smaller man was tough.

Kiku stood up, and jumped in front of Arthur, wielding his own katana.

"Fight me, pirate-san." Kiku demanded calmly.

Arthur smirked, and took out a very small knife, surprising Kiku. Then his left hand pointed the sword at Alfred's neck, and his right hand pointed the smaller blade towards Kiku.

"I can fight like this." Arthur said, smiling sadistically.

"Kiku, don't fight!" Yao yelled.

Kiku ignored him, and smiled at Arthur. "Do you think I am someone that should be taken lightly?"

"Yes." He said bluntly.

"We'll see, pirate-san." He whispered.

In an instant, he wielded his sword up, and brought it down, determined to cut Arthur's head in half.

Arthur grinned and blocked the hit with the small blade expertly.

Kiku smiled as he thought, 'The blade is too small for him to withstand this fight. I will force it!'

The Japanese man forced his sword against the smaller blade, and to his surprise, he could not move Arthur's blade from its spot. Arthur's arm was powerfully staying in place!

Alfred widened his eyes as he saw this; Arthur was easily fighting Kiku with a blade!

Arthur steadied himself on Alfred, pressing his foot even more, and outstretched the free one to roundhouse kick Kiku, who yelped as he tumbled over by the impact.

Yao growled and charged towards Arthur. "You are going to leave him alone, aru!"

Arthur frowned. "Hm. I will have to finish quickly."

He took the small blade and pointed it at Yao, who raised his wok, and brought it down...

"AAAHHH! !" A bloodcurdling scream was heard throughout the mountains and nearby places.

Alfred and Kiku looked at Yao shocked.

"Yao!" Kiku screeched as his brother's hands were wet with his own dripping blood.

The Chinese boy released his grip on his wok, and his hands went over his chest as he finally fell with a thud.

Arthur huffed.

He just stabbed the boy when he spotted an opening. The fool raised his arms way too openly so that his chest was exposed. So naturally, Arthur aimed his blade there.

"W-What the hell?" Alfred muttered.

Kiku crawled over to Yao, and looked at him carefully.

The bleeding was too much...

"Kiku... Are you alright?" Yao asked shakily.

Kiku gently nodded. "Yes."

Arthur looked back at his trapped victim and smirked.

"Time to finish this!"

Alfred widened his eyes as the sword moved slowly near his face and then narrowed his eyes.

He smiled at Arthur, and without warning, he bent his knees so that Arthur's leg was bent, and pushed him away with his hands.

Arthur fell backwards, and grunted as he stood back up. Alfred stood up as well, and both faced each other again.

"I am the hero, dude! And the hero never loses!"

Arthur laughed again, making Alfred shake a little. What was it with this guy's laugh that made everyone so... intimidated?

"I never lost a battle in my life, if you must know." He took out another sword and threw it at the other boy, startling everyone who was watching.

"What?" Alfred was confused as he caught the sword being handed to him.

"We'll settle this with swords! Unless you are afraid, then I can kill you right now, and have my sword back." He taunted.

"Ha ha ha! You wish, old man!"

...

An awkward silence ensued.

"What the bloody hell?" Arthur yelled, breaking it.

Arthur started to yell.

"No!" He swiftly ran towards Alfred before he could react...

"One!"... and head-butted him on the stomach, making Alfred gasp out in surprise.

"Calls me old!" He finished by backing away, and Alfred plummeting back to the ground once again.

The pirate slashed his sword sideways, and smirked. Alfred glared at him.

"Now you are going to get it, biatch!" He declared, and thrust his own sword forward unexpectedly while standing up once more.

Arthur managed to block it.

Both were now in a stalemate.

They could not hurt the other for each one of them was defending themselves very well.

They struggled with their swords, both staring into each other's eyes intensely.

Arthur smirked as Alfred scowled.

The pirate was still going on strong despite his wound, which amazed the hero greatly.

Talking about that wound...

Alfred took his chances. He raised his foot, and thrust it forward rapidly, kicking Arthur on his wound. The pirate screamed out in pain, and to Alfred' surprise, blood started to drench Arthur's clothes in very little time.

He staggered backwards, and took out another sword shakily.

Alfred gaped at him as the captain skillfully attacked with his two swords, this time faster and stronger than before.

"Wah! You are hurt! How can you keep fighting? !" He asked as he tried to evade him, and winced as one of the swords slashed his arm, creating a cut.

"I have to save Peter..." Arthur whispered and kept struggling until he got tired.

His moves were slower each time he thrust his arm forward. Arthur was already pale from losing blood, and his vision was becoming fuzzy.

But he wouldn't stop.

Alfred got exhausted as well, and stopped trying to make a counterattack.

Both men fought for what seemed like an eternity while the rest watched in silence.

Soon enough, Arthur missed by more than before, and Alfred used this opportunity to take out his gun.

He pointed it tiredly at the captain, who stopped moving his swords to take a breath.

"Why do you want to kill me?" Alfred asked breathless, his finger close to pressing the trigger.

Arthur scowled, panting heavily.

"It's none... of your... business..." He trailed out.

"It is." Alfred replied. "Yao, Kiku, are you alright?"

The said teenagers answered 'Yes' at the same time. Kiku had managed to stop Yao's bleeding.

"One of you, knock him out."

"What? ! Don't you dare!" Arthur screeched and stood up with newfound strength.

Suddenly, a wooden pole hit Arthur from behind, knocking him out effectively.

Alfred grinned while Kiku looked surprised.

"Good job, Feli!"

Feliciano nodded shakily, and hid behind a rock, frightened that Arthur may wake up and get him.

Alfred smiled, and walked over the fallen Brit. "Wow, for someone so small, you can beat Kiku, and me! I bet he would have kicked my ass if it weren't for that ugly wound."

"Well, he was shot." A voice piped.

Everyone looked at the person who spoke. It was Toris, who waved at them nervously. "Don't worry, I won't attack or do anything. I actually want to join you."

"Sure, dude!" Alfred responded before the rest could say "We'll think about it."

"Can this little guy and Vash join too?" Toris asked.

Everyone finally noticed an Italian teenager looking at all of them.

"Ehh... There are no girls around here."


End file.
